Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [179]

“Slowpoke, [Confusion]!”

“Slow—!”

Slowpoke’s dull eyes briefly glowed blue as it effortlessly sent a Spinarak—who had suddenly jumped out from the bushes—flying.

Once the battle was over, Slowpoke flopped onto the ground, looking utterly defeated.

Why… why must I suffer like this? I’m just an innocent, weak little Slowpoke…

August completely ignored Slowpoke’s exaggerated despair. After confirming with Arcanine that there were no traces of Silver’s scent nearby, he crossed another location off the map.

“If he’s not here either, that leaves only two possible places.”

August studied the remaining two marked locations on the map, lost in thought.

One was in the nearby mountains just outside Azalea Town.

The other… was in the Ilex Forest between Azalea Town and Route 34.

“Please don’t be in Ilex Forest…”

That was where the shrine dedicated to Celebi stood.

Every year, Pryce attempted to capture Celebi there, and Arceus only knew whether he might be lurking around at this very moment.

With that thought, August glanced down at Slowpoke, still sprawled motionless on the ground.

“You seriously call that effort? Just dealing with a few weaklings and you’re already exhausted? No way—I need to set up a strict training regimen for you.”

Hearing this, Slowpoke’s eyes widened in horror before it was promptly recalled into its Poké Ball.

August swung himself onto Arcanine’s back, giving the Pokémon a firm pat. “Alright, next location!”

With a nod, the massive Arcanine took off, its powerful legs propelling it forward like the wind. Within moments, they had disappeared into the distance.

---

Amid the jagged rocks at the summit, a fierce battle was underway.

“Sneasel, [Icy Wind]!”

With a powerful leap, Sneasel swung its claws, releasing a chilling gust of frost.

Whooosh!

Crack!

One of Ursaring’s massive paws was instantly encased in ice, but it managed to avoid the frost with the other.

Infuriated, the partially frozen Ursaring roared and swung its free claw downward in a devastating [Cross Chop] aimed directly at Sneasel.

[Cross Chop]

Silver’s expression shifted. Dark- and Ice-type—if that lands, Sneasel’s finished…

“Sneasel, dodge!”

At Silver’s command, Sneasel swiftly retreated, but it did so with calculated precision. As it withdrew, its claws unleashed another [Icy Wind], coating the ground in ice.

The moment Ursaring stepped forward, its footing failed—it began to slip and stumble across the frozen terrain, unable to keep up with Sneasel’s speed.

Left with no other option, the enraged Ursaring slammed its powerful claws into the ice-covered ground, leaving deep cracks in its wake and roaring furiously in Silver’s direction.

Even as he watched from a safe distance, Silver showed no signs of disappointment. Instead, he calmly analyzed the situation.

Still not quite strong enough…

If Sneasel had been able to completely freeze both of Ursaring’s arms, he would have had at least a 30% chance of capturing it.

And capturing Ursaring would have given him a powerful tool to investigate the true identity of the Masked Man.

But now…

Just as he was about to withdraw with Sneasel and return to Azalea Town to regroup, the sound of clapping echoed from behind the nearby rocks.

“What an impressive battle.”

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Silver’s eyes narrowed.

For the past two days, the League had been pursuing him for some unknown reason.

Even though he had explicitly stated that he had no interest in joining them, they just wouldn’t leave him alone.

Annoyed, Silver turned around, ready to deal with yet another League agent—just like before.

But the moment the figure emerged from behind the rocks, his pupils shrank in shock.

A Masked Man.

Without hesitation, Silver swung his arm forward. “Sneasel, [Icy Wind]!”

Sneasel, recognizing the enemy immediately, lunged at the Masked Man without waiting for further orders.

Its claws slashed through the air, unleashing a freezing gust filled with shards of ice, all aimed directly at its target.

But the Masked Man showed no panic.

With a mere snap of his fingers, two shadowy claws materialized from thin air, composed entirely of Ghost-type energy. They blocked the attack effortlessly, shielding the Masked Man in a dark, protective embrace.

Then, from behind the mask, a voice laced with amusement spoke:

“Silver, come back with me. There are many people who miss you.”

Hearing his name spoken with such familiarity—and the implication that they wanted to take him back—Silver’s expression darkened.

“Sneasel, [Hone Claws]!”

Sneasel, still mid-stride, crossed its claws, sharpening them as a dark aura surrounded its talons. The moment the enhancement was complete, its claws glowed with a menacing sharpness.

“Now!”

At Silver’s command, Sneasel leaped into the air, its razor-sharp claws swinging down toward the Masked Man’s head.

It was a lightning-fast attack.

So fast, in fact, that the Masked Man actually praised it.

Yes—he praised it.

“Not bad. If you had used [Shadow Claw] instead, I wouldn’t have been able to block it.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Silver’s instincts screamed that something was wrong.

But it was already too late.

In the blink of an eye—

Sneasel’s claws struck.

And were effortlessly stopped.

By a single hand.

A single glowing blue hand had caught Sneasel’s attack mid-air, nullifying it completely.

“…Impossible.”

Silver’s composure finally cracked.

He could not believe what he was seeing.

“Why impossible?”

The Masked Man casually flicked his wrist—suddenly, out of thin air, a long, pink tongue appeared and lashed across Sneasel’s body.

The [Lick] attack immediately paralyzed Sneasel.

Before Silver could react, the Masked Man reached out and grabbed Sneasel by the scruff of its neck.

“Sneasel!”

Silver desperately reached for Sneasel’s Poké Ball, attempting to recall it. But the retrieval beam was effortlessly shattered by the same eerie blue light emanating from the Masked Man’s hand.

Now, with his Pokémon restrained and the Masked Man slowly closing in, every muscle in Silver’s body tensed.

A large hand reached for him—

In that moment, he thought his worst nightmare had come true.

He was about to be knocked out, dragged back to the Masked Man’s base, and punished as a traitor.

But—

Swipe.

Instead of an attack, the Masked Man… pulled out a phone.

The screen lit up, showing a live video call that had just connected.

Silver’s breath caught in his throat as he saw the person on the other end of the call.

“Sister Blue…! You got captured too!?”

On the screen, Blue had just been about to greet Silver—she had assumed this meant August had finally found him.

But the moment she heard Silver’s words, she froze, completely confused.

“…What do you mean I got captured too?”

She had literally just been battling Pokémon with Sabrina a few minutes ago.

How had she suddenly been “captured”!?

Now Silver was confused.

What is going on?

And then, the Masked Man’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Let me clear up your confusion.”

With a slow, deliberate motion, the Masked Man reached up and pulled off his mask.

Swipe.

Beneath it was a handsome, familiar face.

---

T/N: hehehe hansome

This is a fan translation of 人在实教，一之濑你会后悔的 by 作者：白良. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!